| Fleur de Lis Hotel | |
|---|---|
 Fleur de Lis Hotel | |
 | |
| General information | |
| Location | Canterbury, Kent, England |
| Address | 34 High Street |
| Coordinates | 51°16′46″N1°4′45″E / 51.27944°N 1.07917°E |
| Opening | 13th Century |
| Closed | 1958 |
| Technical details | |
| Floor count | 3 |
| Other information | |
| Number of restaurants | 1 |
Fleur de Lis Hotel was a 13th century hotel in the city of Canterbury, Kent, England. It is recorded that Charles Dickens stayed there. The hotel was eventually demolished in 1958.
Fleur de Lis was one of the oldest hotels, established over 700 years ago. It was located on 34 High Street, Canterbury, Kent, England. Fleur-de-lis means lily (in French, fleur and lis mean 'flower' and 'lily' respectively) that is used as a decorative design or symbol. [1]
Parts of the building date back to the 13th century. It is recorded that Charles Dickens stayed there and took his meals in the coffee room overlooking High Street. [2] [1]
As a hotel, the Fleur de Lis Hotel had single and double bedrooms, and a bar and restaurant that served breakfast, lunch, afternoon tea, and dinner. It was advertised as close to a cathedral, railway stations, and a general post office. [3]
The hotel is mentioned as early as 1376. In the back of the building was a livery stable and the Fleur de Lis tap, which can be dated to 1372. [4] An engraving from 1808 on a post card shows the 13th century windows in the courtyard of the hotel with carved corbels. The same corbels can be seen in a 1895 photograph that show the back of the building next to The Cherry Tree Freehouse pub on 10 White Horse Lane. [1] [4]
Thomas Paramore, Esquire of Monkton, Kent said in his will of 1637, that he gave his dwelling called "the Fleur de luce in Canterbury, to his nephew Thomas Paramore, on condition that he paid to the mayor and aldermen 100 pounds and the same to be lent to five poor shopkeepers of the city." [3]
The 1824 city directory said:
One of the oldest of the City hostelries, which was an Inn in the early years of the fifteenth century. Lately renovated throughout in accordance with modern requirements, the interior still retains much of the old-world character for which it was noted when Charles Dickens used to stay here as a guest. From the Courtyard, now converted into a lounge, may still be seen an early thirteenth century window, unspoiled by restoration, while a portion of the Tudor staircase yet remains." [1]
On September 14, 1872, the Mayor's annual banquet was held at the Fleur de Lis Hotel, by the landlord Samuel Prentice. The room was decorated with flowers and plants that were supplied by the Earl of Mountcharles, Captain Lambert, and Mr. Mount. Those that were in attendance were the aldermen and councilors, including Canterbury Mayor George Furley. [5]
In the 20-century, the hotel was used for various functions including city elections and for local society meetings. In 1906, postcards show photographs of the hotel's Coffee Room, lounge, and dining room. [3] On September 8, 1910, Ben Twyman sold the hotel and several lots. At that time, there was still a livery stable in the back and the Fleur de Lis tap. [6]
The hotel was demolished in 1958. [3] The three-story building that replaced it has two retail stores. [7] Today, the Fleur de Lis tap is the home of the Cherry Tree Freehouse pub at 10 White Horse Lane. [4]
Kent is a ceremonial county in the South East England region, the closest county to continental Europe. It borders Essex across the entire estuary of the River Thames to the north; the French department of Pas-de-Calais across the Strait of Dover to the south-east; East Sussex to the south-west; Surrey to the west and Greater London to the north-west. The county town is Maidstone.
Canterbury is a city and UNESCO World Heritage Site, in the county of Kent, England; it was until 1974 a county borough. It lies on the River Stour. The city has a mild oceanic climate.
Folkestone is a port town on the English Channel, in Kent, south-east England. The town lies on the southern edge of the North Downs at a valley between two cliffs. It was an important harbour and shipping port for most of the 19th and 20th centuries.
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Canterbury, commonly called the City of Canterbury, is a local government district with city status in Kent, England. As well as Canterbury itself, the district extends north to the coastal towns of Whistable and Herne Bay.
Leigh, historically spelled Lyghe, is a village and a civil parish located in the Sevenoaks district of Kent, England. It is located six miles (10 km) south of Sevenoaks town and three miles (5 km) west of Tonbridge.
Kent is a traditional county in South East England with long-established human occupation.
Canterbury is a constituency in Kent represented in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament since 2017 by Rosie Duffield of the Labour Party.
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Folkestone Invicta Football Club is a football club based in Folkestone, Kent, England. They are currently members of the Isthmian League Premier Division and play at Cheriton Road.
The Westgate is a medieval gatehouse in Canterbury, Kent, England. This 60-foot (18 m) high western gate of the city wall is the largest surviving city gate in England. Built of Kentish ragstone around 1379, it is the last survivor of Canterbury's seven medieval gates, still well-preserved and one of the city's most distinctive landmarks. The road still passes between its drum towers. This scheduled monument and Grade I listed building houses the West Gate Towers Museum as well as a series of historically themed escape rooms.
Wincheap is a road and suburb in Canterbury, Kent, England. The road forms part of the A28 road, stretching for around 1 mile (1.6 km) from the city wall, close by Canterbury East railway station, to the over-crossing of the A2 and the parish of Thanington.
Transportation needs within the county of Kent in South East England has been served by both historical and current transport systems.
Seasalter is a village in the Canterbury District of Kent, England. Seasalter is on the north coast of Kent, between the towns of Whitstable and Faversham, facing the Isle of Sheppey across the estuary of the River Swale. The settlement of Yorkletts is included in the ward. It is approximately 6 miles (10 km) north of Canterbury.
The Kentish Gazette is a weekly newspaper serving the city of Canterbury, Kent. It is owned by KM Group and published on Thursdays. Its Canterbury and Whitstable editions are the only local papers covering the area.
Hampton-on-Sea is a drowned and abandoned village in what is now the Hampton area of Herne Bay, Kent. It grew from a tiny fishing hamlet in 1864 at the hands of an oyster fishery company, was developed from 1879 by land agents, abandoned in 1916 and finally drowned due to coastal erosion by 1921. All that now remains is the stub of the original pier, the Hampton Inn, and the rocky arc of Hampton-on-Sea's ruined coastal defence visible at low tide. The site is notable for sharing its history with the eccentric Edmund Reid. Reid was previously the Metropolitan Police head of CID who handled the Jack the Ripper case. In retirement he chose to champion the plight of the beleaguered residents of the settlement.
John James Wilson (1818–1875) was the son of John Wilson who was a Scottish landscape and marine painter. The son exhibited similar works to his father's and from the same London address until 1847. Most were landscapes until 1849 and marines thereafter. He moved to Folkestone with his father in 1853. John James Wilson was a prolific artist, exhibiting in excess of six hundred paintings during his working life.
